FOREST housing provider Two Rivers has maintained its top rating from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) for the nineteenth year running.

The Newent-based housing group received confirmation of the decision last week (August 31) following a recent “in depth” assessment by the regulator, which are carried out every four years.

The RSH awarded Two Rivers a ‘G1’ for governance and a ‘V1’ for viability, which the association says demonstrates confidence that it is financially strong, well governed, provides value for money to tenants and understands and manages risks effectively.

It means that the association has maintained its top rating for 19 years.

Speaking about the decision, Garry King, Chief Executive at Two Rivers Housing, said: “We are delighted with the result of the recent in-depth assessment conducted by the Regulator, particularly given the disruption to services and the challenges bought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Maintaining our ratings at the highest level reinforces our commitment to being a strong, sustainable organisation, that will be able to provide warm, safe, affordable, homes to thousands of families for many years to come.

“The decision from the Regulator, gives us a great foundation to build from, as we continue to focus on creating a great customer experience and improving the way we work to better enable our team to support our tenants through the current cost-of-living crisis.

“While there is a lot of work that goes into providing the evidence that the Regulator needs to make its assessment, the final result is a testament to the hard work and dedication of each and every person working at Two Rivers Housing.

“So, I’d like to say a huge thank you and well done to everyone for achieving this fantastic result.”

The Two Rivers Housing Group provides affordable housing for more than 4,400 families in the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire.

In 2018, the group pledged to build 1,000 new affordable homes locally by 2028, and as of March 31 this year it had delivered 410.